No, Penn State doesn’t have a specific published target. However, Penn State routinely tracks the opportunity gaps that are seen in success statistics between non-advantaged populations and the majority.  This includes low-income students as well as first generation students and underrepresented minority students.  Penn State believes in equitable outcomes, which would mean the elimination of these gaps.

Yes, Penn State provides multiple food and transportation services for students of low income backgrounds. The Lion’s Pantry is a student-run food bank at Penn State University Park that provides free food and toiletries to students facing food insecurity. Established in 2014, it aims to combat hunger, raise awareness about student poverty, and reduce stigma around food insecurity. There are also Cub Pantries at Penn State satellite campuses, which are the branch equivalents of the Lion’s Pantry. Penn State also has an exclusive ride sharing program called RideOn to help students, faculty, and staff find rides to campus. Finally, Penn State Legal Services is a resource for all students to gain advice, referrals, document drafting, and other legal services.

Yes, Penn State has programs to help students from low-income groups to complete their studies. A University-wide initiative, called “Achieve Penn State,” helps students and families by removing obstacles to graduation, lowering debt, and shortening time to degree, supporting President Eric Barron’s focus on access and affordability. Part of this initiative is “Complete Penn State,”  which provides seniors facing financial obstacles with academic and financial resources to help them complete their degree. The Penn State Chaiken Student Center for Success also provides financial, academic, career, and mentorship opportunities for first-generation and liberal arts students to help complete their studies. The Comprehensive Studies Program at Penn State provides access and retention support to Pennsylvania students with high academic potential, meeting economic criteria, and often being first-generation college students. The university also participates in various Federal TRIO Programs, which assist low-income, first-generation, and disabled individuals from middle school through post-baccalaureate education. Additionally, the Penn State Millennium Scholars Program supports academically strong high school seniors aiming for doctoral degrees in science or engineering, promoting diversity in research fields. A University-wide initiative, “Achieve Penn State,” helps students and families by removing obstacles to graduation, lowering debt, and shortening time to degree, supporting former President Eric Barron’s focus on access and affordability.

While Penn State does not provide resources specifically for financially and socially sustainable businesses, any student with a start-up idea can be supported through a Program at Penn State called the Launch Box. This provides mentoring, training, and access to university facilities to Students with a viable business idea, and can encourage start-ups that are both socially and financially responsible. Additionally, any community member can gain access to the resources above if they have a viable business idea.

Yes, Invent Penn State provides mentoring and financial support to community members if they have a viable business idea.

Yes, there are multiple ways that Penn State tries to improve access to basic services. Sanitary products are now free at the Penn State University Park campus. Additionally, there are food pantries across the Penn State Campuses to provide food to food insecure students. Additionally, there are free health resources for students on campus, such as Counseling and Psychological Services  and Sexual and Reproductive Services. Additionally, there is the Food and Housing Security Task Force, which aims to mitigate food and housing insecurity for low income students.

Penn State research efforts have been used to help mitigate poverty at the local level. For instance, the Penn State Social Science Research Institute conducts research to make Food Banks more efficient to increase access to food to communities that need it. Additionally, Penn State has a multitude of programs aimed towards ending student poverty on campus, which includes Swipe Out Hunger, the Lion’s Pantry, and the Student Farm. Please read more about these initiatives here.